Self-Improvement Archives - The Art of Improvement

How to Stay Motivated

What came first, motivation or momentum? Do you have to be motivated to gain momentum, or does momentum inspire motivation?

Motivation is not an all-encompassing, magical elixir you drink to get you started. It’s organic. To feel motivated, you cannot wait for any feeling to wash over you. All you can do is start.

That, however, is easier said than done. Motivation is a fickle thing. Before you sleep, you might be filled with the desire to improve your life in every single way, but by the time you wake up, that wave of motivation has disappeared into thin air, as if it were never there. Therein lies the problem.

5 Tiny Habits to Master Consistency Effortlessly

Most people will agree that consistency can bring smoother experiences, transitions, and more predictable expectations. On the other hand, being inconsistent can promote confusion, delays and disappointments.

Consistency helps you stay on track toward your goals, and helps to develop discipline and self control. It can lead to increased progress and promote confidence. Through repetitive, sustained efforts, a habit of consistency can take you to a higher level.

Greek Philosopher Aristotle gave us these timeless words of wisdom,

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

So, what can you do to become more consistent in your daily routine? What kinds of actions might help to develop the skills and incentives to become more consistent?

Here are 5 habits you can develop to help master consistency.

5 Common Behaviours That Kill Productivity

Most people want to be productive. We want to do our jobs well and produce quality work. Regardless of the type of work you do, you probably want it to be worth doing. And you want the end result to be a positive accomplishment.

But sometimes it can be hard to be productive. Things can stand in our way and make it difficult to complete, or sometimes even begin, the projects we had planned to do.

How I Learned to Remember Everything

With today’s technology it may seem like we don’t really have to use our memory to remember things. We can just look it up, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, we have a world of information at our fingertips that is easily accessible at any time, day or night. But then there are other things that we want to keep stored in our own memory banks for future or daily use.

When studying school work, learning a new language, taking on a new job or developing a new skill, these things all require memorization. And sometimes it can be a challenge to retain the information you need to know.

Before we had computers to remember everything for us, people memorized all kinds of things. Addresses, phone numbers, poetry, and speeches, just to name a few! Our brain can be trained to hold far more data than we usually ask it to.

How I Make Decisions – The OODA Loop System

The OODA loop model, otherwise known as “the decision cycle” was developed by US Air Force Colonel John Boyd as he sought to help pilots with their decision making process when in air combat.

Although this model won’t turn you into a fighter pilot, the core principles to better decision making are applicable to anyone. Like pilots, people from all backgrounds and cultures will find themselves in pressurised, emotionally dense, serious situations that require precise, meaningful decisions.

Why Peak Performers All Embrace the 80/20 Rule

It’s been three hours since you turned away from your computer screen. Your head has perked up, your eyes have reset and you’ve snapped back into reality. All of a sudden you notice your legs are hot. Wait, they’re a bit too hot. Your laptop stirs and whirs. The fan is panicking, shouting at you to stop. It, just like you, needed a break. It’s a chance to take a load off. Time to close some tabs.

If you use a computer for an extended period without closing any tabs, chances are it will overheat and potentially break. While we are not computers – not yet, anyway – a similar principle isn’t entirely out of the question. The more you put on your plate, the fuller you’ll feel. The more you over fill yourself, the harder it gets to move quickly and efficiently. Instead of moving through air, you’re moving through custard. Basically, things get more difficult.

5 Golden Rules To Unbreakable Confidence

Life can be a challenge at times, but standing firm with unbreakable confidence can make a difference in how you handle things. In his well known poem “If”, Rudyard Kipling writes, “…if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…”, he is referring to the action of remaining calm and sensible in situations where others are not thinking clearly.

When you have confidence in the decisions you make, and the actions you take, you may find that success and leadership are just two of the benefits you could reap from being a confident person.

Why Top Performers All Embrace Mental Visualization Techniques

Everyday we think about what we’re going to do. Our brains are busy deciding how to spend our day, what to eat, what to wear, what to say, and so on and so on. Every part of our lives is played out in our minds in order to produce actions throughout the day.

4 Tiny Habits to Improve Your Sleep Effortlessly

Sleep. There’s no hiding from it. You can postpone it as much as possible, but it’ll eventually claim you. Rather than fight it or bemoan how little sleep you’re getting, it’s best if you learn to use sleep to your advantage. If you do, you’ll be fighting fit on all fronts – everything will seem more possible and life will be filled with a base layer of energy.

It’s easy to see why not prioritising your sleep makes your life not just more difficult, but a slog from minute one. According to some research from the University of Chicago, a four to five-hour sleep can reduce a man’s testosterone levels to that of a man 10 to 15 years his senior. Its biological power must not be underestimated. A lack of sleep is fundamental to our everyday existence.

The Habits of Highly Organised Individuals

In houses worldwide, you’ll find neatness personified; cutlery organised according to its purpose, colour-coded bookshelves and even seasonally-racked clothes. In many of those houses, you’ll also find a ‘messy drawer’ – a slice; a taster, perhaps – of the human brain’s capability for facilitating disorganisation. It’s a dumping ground for the miscellaneous items we can’t quite seem to find a designated home for, but at the same time, its value isn’t lost on its owners.